Numbers 31:13

Numbers 31:13 says, And Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp.  Moses and Eleazar went out to meet those returning from the war.  Today, we as followers of Christ often go to meet those returning from mission trips, where they have been spiritually at war with the forces of evil in the world.  Verse fourteen add, And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.  Moses did not meet them to celebrate, though, but he was angry with them.  Verse fifteen continues, And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?  Moses asked them if they had saved all the women alive, which was not what God had told them to do.  We as Christians may not always agree with what God tells us to do, but we cannot change it and be successful spiritually.  Verse fifteen declares, Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.  Moses said it was the woman of the Medes who had caused the men of Israel to commit the sin of following Baal at Peor, which caused a plague amongst the Israelites.  Now, they had not only been spared, but they had been brought back to Israel.  We must do our best to keep those who would lead us away from God from being placed in a position where the can tempt us to stray away from God.  Verse seventeen adds, Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.  Moses told them to kill all the male children and all the women who had been sexually intimate.  We may think this to be excessively cruel, but it is not what happens in this life that matters.  Verse eighteen continues, But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.  Those women who had not been sexually active could be kept.  Verse nineteen states, And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.  All those who had killed someone or had touched a dead body were to remain outside the camp for seven days, and they were to purify themselves and their captives on the third and seventh day.  The fact that they had been sent to war and returned victorious did not releave them of the responsibility of following God's law.  Verse twenty adds, And purify all your raiment, and all that is made of skins, and all work of goats’ hair, and all things made of wood.  They were also to purify all their clothes, anything made of skin or goats' hair,  and everything made of wood.  Matthew Henry said these were the spoils of war that had been used by the Midianites and must therefore now be purified before being used by the Israelites.   

Jeremiah 48:1

 Jeremiah 48:1 says, Against Moab thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.  God now had Jeremiah prophesy against Moab.  God will send His judgment against not some who defy Him, but against all who do.  Verse two adds, There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.  People of the world may have praised Moab, but God said they no longer would.  There are countries today that the world may praise or fear, but if they stand against God, then their destruction will one day come.  God's rule and judgment is universal.  Verse three  states, A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.  God said that cries of mourning would soon come from the cities of Moab.  Verse four adds, Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.  Moab was to be destroyed, and her young ones would cause their cry to be heard.   The people of Moab had worshipped false gods, and now even their children would cry out in despair.  We need to teach our children about God, and if we do not and they follow the false gods of the world, then one day they will cry out in despair when God's judgment comes, and it will certainly come.  Verse five continues, For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.  God said that the weeping would be throughout the land because of the destruction in Moab.  Verse six declares, Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.  The people of Moab were warned to flee, but there is no place that anyone can flee to escape God's coming judgment.  The only way to avoid everlasting punishment is to flee to Jesus Christ and not away from Him.  Verse seven adds, For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.  God said that they were going to be defeated because they put their faith in their works and wealth.  No matter how much money or power a person has in the world today, putting one's faith in it will never bring security outside the will of God.  Verse eight says, And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken.  The destruction of Moab was to be a total destruction, just as all the works against God will one day be totally destroyed and those who put their faith in them will go away to everlasting destruction.   Verse nine adds, Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.  God said the people of Moab would have to fly away in order to avoid the coming destruction.